The journey of human presence on the island
In the heart of the Hora, the old primary school now houses one of the most elegant small treasures in the Cyclades: the Archaeological Museum of Kythnos. The single-room early-20th-century building, with neoclassical elements and a courtyard featuring a stone well, has been respectfully restored to its original form and now functions as a quiet museum dedicated to the island’s long history.
The exhibits originate from excavations of the ancient city at Vryokastro and the prehistoric settlement at Maroulas, whilst some others were found scattered across Kythnos. From stone tools of the Mesolithic period (9th millennium BC) to metallurgical remains of the Bronze Age, the museum recounts the human presence that has traversed the island for ten thousand years.
Within an austere space, full of light, the exhibition sections unveil the faces of Kythnos:
The dialogue between the earth, the light and human creation is captured here with the simplicity and clarity of the Cyclades: nothing superfluous, nothing stronger than the visitor's own gaze upon the past.
The exhibits originate from excavations of the ancient city at Vryokastro and the prehistoric settlement at Maroulas, whilst some others were found scattered across Kythnos. From stone tools of the Mesolithic period (9th millennium BC) to metallurgical remains of the Bronze Age, the museum recounts the human presence that has traversed the island for ten thousand years.
Within an austere space, full of light, the exhibition sections unveil the faces of Kythnos:
- the Stone Age and the finds from Maroulas;
- the metallurgists who utilised the copper deposits;
- the ancient city with its houses, sanctuaries and burials;
- the "Rural Hora", evidence of agricultural life;
- the Byzantine and post-Byzantine remains;
- the epigraphic fragments and architectural elements that bear witness to the island’s continuous habitation.
The dialogue between the earth, the light and human creation is captured here with the simplicity and clarity of the Cyclades: nothing superfluous, nothing stronger than the visitor's own gaze upon the past.
